Battery terminal protectors



Nov. 15, 1960 F/GJ A. H. BARKE BATTERY TERMINAL PROTECTORS Filed Sept.23, 1957 1N VENTOR. 14/. BERT hi BHRKE W MxW Arron/vs Y4 BATTERYTERMINAL PROTECTORS Albeit H. Barke, 1449 Eleanor Ave., St. Paul, Minn.,assignor of one-half to David Rosen, Minneapolis, Minn.

Filed Sept. 23, 1957, Ser. No. 685,456

4 Claims. (Cl. 136-181) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in protective devices for the terminals of storagebatteries, and particularly to a device for preventing corrosion of theusual battery cables and terminal connectors or clamps by theelectrolyte of the battery, which may at times seep past the terminalposts and contact the exteriors of the posts and cable clamps, causingsaid parts to corrode, sometimes to the extent that it may be extremelydiflicult to loosen the nut on the cable clamp to free the clamp fromthe terminal post, as when the battery is to be removed for recharging.

Numerous attempts have heretofore been made to provide devices for thusprotecting the cables and cable clamps from the corrosive action of acidwhich may leak from the battery, but to the best of my knowledge, noneof these have proven entirely satisfactory and hence few are incommercial use.

The novel battery terminal protector herein disclosed is the result oflong and costly experimental work in attempt to develop such a device inwhich all of the objectionable features heretofore inherent in such devices have been entirely eliminated, and which is so constructed that itmay readily and quickly be applied to a conventional battery terminalwithout the use of tools or special equipment.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a batteryterminal protector comprising a disklike body having a central aperturetherein for receiving the terminal post, said central aperture beingdefined by an annular depending flange of substantial width in an axialdirection thereby to provide an enlarged surface for frictionallyengaging the periphery of the terminal post with suificient snugness toinseparaby secure the device thereto, and to prevent the passage of acidbetween the wall of said central aperture and the periphcry of theterminal post into contact with the cable clamp secured to the upper endof the terminal post.

A further object of the invention is to provide a battery terminalprotector comprising a circular flexible disk-like body which isnormally substantially flat, said body having an enlarged centralaperture therein defined by an annular depending flange adapted tofrictionally engage the terminal post when said disk-like body is fittedonto the terminal post.

A further object is to provide a device of the class describedcomprising a flat circular flexible body having means for frictionallysecuring it to a battery terminal post, the unique construction of saiddevice being such that when pressed firmly into position on a terminalpost, said body will assume a conical shape, whereby any acid or otherliquid engaging the top or bottom surfaces thereof will drain therefromto the outer marginal edge of the device and discharge therefrom.

A further object is to provide an anticorrosive device for storagebattery terminals which readily lends itself to mass production, wherebyit may be manufactured at extremely low cost so that it may be sold tothe trade at a very nominal price.

A further object is to provide a device of the class describedcomprising a one-piece flat body made from an acid and moisture proofflexible material such as polyethylene, whereby it is substantiallyindestructible.

These and other objects of the invention and the means for theirattainment will be more apparent from the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings there has been disclosed a structuredesigned to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is tobe understood that the invention is not confined to the exact featuresshown, as various changes may be made Within the scope of the claimswhich follow.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top view of a conventional storage battery showing theinvention applied to the terminal posts thereof;

Figure 2 is a plan or top view of one of my battery terminal devicesremoved from the terminal post;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, showing thedevice in its normal flat state; and

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, showingthe disk-shaped form of the disklike body when pressed into fixedposition on a battery terminal post.

In the selected embodiment of the invention herein disclosed there isillustrated in Figure l, for purposes of disclosure, the top view of aconventional storage battery comprising the usual case 2, cells 3, 4 and5, electrically connected together by connectors 6 and 7. The usualnegative and positive tapered terminal posts 8 and 9, respectively, arealso shown to which the usual cable clamps (not shown) may be secured inthe usual manner.

The novel terminal protector herein disclosed is shown comprising a flatdisk-like body, generally designated by the numeral 11, which normallyis flat, as illustrated in Figure 3. The body 11 is preferably circularin configuration, as shown in Figure 2, but not necessarily so. It hasan axial bore 12 therein defined by an annular flange 13 which extendsdownwardly from the body 11 to a substantial distance, as indicated inFigures 3 and 4, thereby to provide an enlarged annular cylindrical wallsurface 14 adapted to be pressed into frictional engagement with theperiphery of the tapered terminal post 8, as will be understood byreference to Figure 4.

The annular surface 14 defining the bore 12 is cylindrical when theprotector is in its normal free state, as illustrated in Figure 3. Itwill also be noted by reference to Figure 3 that the outer wall surfaceof the annular flange 13 tapers inwardly in a downward direction so thatits bottom edge 15 is substantially knife-edged for reasons subsequentlyto be described. The outer marginal edge portion of the disk-like body11 is provided on its underside with a depending peripheral bead 16which serves a dual function. It provides a reinforcement for the outermarginal edge of the body 11, and it also provides a drip bead forguiding any acid or other liquid which may reach the top or bottomsurfaces of the body 11, away from the terminal post, as will beunderstood by reference to Figure 4.

Polyethylene has been found a highly desirable material from which tomake the novel battery terminal protector herein disclosed. Thismaterial is acid and moisture proof, has a high degree of resiliency, ishighly resistant to wear and shocks, and readily lends itself topressure molding, well known in the art, whereby the protective deviceherein disclosed may be manufactured in mass production at extremely lowcost, as will readily be understood by reference to Figures 2 and 3.

To apply the battery protectors to the tapered terminal posts of abattery, the protectors are fitted over their respective terminal postsand firmly pressed downwardly thereon, usually with the fingers, untilthe cylindrical wall surfaces 14 of the bores 12 are brought intoconformity with the tapered peripheries of the terminal posts. When theprotectors 1 1 are so seated on their respective terminal posts, thewall surfaces 14 thereof will frictionally engage the peripheries of theterminal posts with suflicient grip to prevent accidental separation ofthe protectors 11 from the terminal posts. As each disk is presseddownwardly into snug engagement with the periphery of its terminal post,the tension developed in the body of the protectors causes it to assumean inverted dish-like shape as shown in Figure 4, whereby any moistureor acid deposited thereon will readily drain to the outer edge of thedevice and drip onto the top of the battery, as will be understood.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely asbeing illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of theinvention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by theforegoing description, and all modifications and variations as fallwithin the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appendedclaims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

I claim as my invention:

1. A battery terminal protector comprising; a flat resilient body havinga central bore therein, a resilient I 4 flange formed around the centralbore of said body, said body being substantially flat when free fromtension, the central bore of said body being smaller in diameter than atapered battery terminal post, whereby when said body bore and flangeare distorted into conformity with a tapered battery terminal post, saidflange frictionally grips a battery terminal post onto which theprotector is pressed to support the protector and said body is distortedinto an inverted dish shape with the periphery of said body nearer thetop of a battery than are the portions adjacent said flange.

2. The battery terminal protector of claim 1 in which said flange isdepending.

3. The battery terminal protector of claim 2 in which a depending headis formed on the periphery of said body.

4. The battery terminal protector of claim 1 in which a depending flangeis formed on the periphery of said body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,364,861 Bliss Jan. 11, 1921 1,680,038 Dunzweiler Aug. 7, 19281,999,870 Douglas Apr. 30, 1935 2,013,219 Peterson Sept. 3, 19352,148,738 Feldtkeller Feb. 28, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 285,993 GreatBritain Feb. 27, 1928 437,946 Great Britain Nov. 4, 1935

